Couple sold everything for world adventure and their boat sank after just 2 days at sea

The 20-somethings have since admitted they had very little sailing experience before embarking on their voyage.

Feb 13, 2018 3:58am

Last year, US natives Nikki Walsh, 24, and her boyfriend Tanner Broadwell, 26, decided they were tired of the 9-5 grind. I mean, we've all been there?! Except the Colorado couple decided to actually do something about it, instead of just complaining on Twitter and ordering pizza. So they sold almost all their worldly possessions (except for their two-year-old pug, Remy) and bought a boat, on which they planned to sail the world.

"How can we live our lives when we're working most of the day and you have to pay so much just to live?" Walsh told The New York Post. "Most of the work you do goes to your home. There has to be another option."

They changed their lives and moved onto the 28-foot, 48-year-old vessel docked in Tarpon Springs, Florida, last year, stocked up on food and supplies for a few months before deciding to set sail. The two said they were "pretty prepared" for their maiden voyage, but Walsh also labeled her and Broadwell as "new to sailing." And "new to sailing" meant that, after only two days at sea, their boat capsized in a channel called John's Pass off the coast of Florida.

"We started freaking out because waves were coming, and [they were] tossing our boat back and forth," Walsh told the Post. And when they hit rough waters, they hit a submerged object or sandbar. As the boat started to sink, they (and Remy) were forced to abandon ship — making sure to grab their essential papers and documents. "I also grabbed Remy's food and just about everything he needed," Walsh said. "He doesn't deserve to go without his favorite toys."

The couple now says they have only $90 USD between the two of them, with no jobs and no boat insurance. They have started a GoFundMe page to try to raise the cash to get their boat out of the water, because it may be dangerous to other boats — and they've already exceeded their $10,000 USD goal.

Even though they seem short on luck, the couple seems optimistic, and hopes to buy or salvage another boat in the future to continue on with their dream. Walsh said, "You only have one life. Why spend it doing what you don't love. Money isn't everything!" (Apart from, you know, the money they need from their GoFundMe. That seems pretty important!)